# AP: “Ex-FBI Director James Comey indicted on charges of lying to Congress and obstruction” **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [September 26, 2025, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ap-ex-fbi-director-james-comey-indicted-on-charges-of-lying-to-congress-and-obstruction/1023402 "2025-09-26T00:34:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![CoolHandCox](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coolhandcox/32/16233_2.png) [@CoolHandCox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CoolHandCox)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ap-ex-fbi-director-james-comey-indicted-on-charges-of-lying-to-congress-and-obstruction/1023402/61 "2025-09-26T20:43:54Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > [gov.uscourts.vaed.582135.1.0 2 | DocumentCloud](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26157810-govuscourtsvaed58213510-2/) I’m confused. Above is the indictment (Doc 1) with two counts. The real one everyone is talking about. But…below, is a _different_ indictment (Doc 3) with three counts (starts on page 2) - it includes the count that the grand jury declined. Huh. You can’t indictment someone if the grand jury doesn’t agree. Yes, Both signed by the DA. Both filed in Court. Why? I could understand having the draft ready if you assumed the grand jury would true bill all counts, but to actually sign and file it after the grand jury rejected that count. I’m pretty sure it’s amateur hour, but wondering if there is another plausible explanation. > **[gov.uscourts.vaed.582135.3.0.pdf](https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.vaed.582135/gov.uscourts.vaed.582135.3.0.pdf)** > > 637.21 KB Late: > [@Spoons](#): > > How did she ever make it through law school? No idea. I’m sure she’s a decent insurance lawyer. **Double Late** : (I think this answers my question) From [NBC:](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/justice-department-charges-james-comey-lying-congress-rcna233581) > There was some confusion in the courtroom and from Judge Lindsey Vaala, who appeared puzzled by the multiple charging documents filed for one case. Vaala asked why there were two documents in the same case. Halligan told her, “I did not see,” to which Vaala replied, “It has your signature on it.” > > Vaala then had Halligan make handwritten changes to one of the documents and said both documents would be uploaded to the docket for the record. > > It’s rare to see only the name of the U.S. attorney, in this case Halligan, on the docket and only her signature on the indictment. Usually there are several assistant U.S. attorneys listed, not just the U.S. attorney. > > Halligan, a former insurance lawyer with no experience as a criminal prosecutor, was sworn in this week. ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ap-ex-fbi-director-james-comey-indicted-on-charges-of-lying-to-congress-and-obstruction/1023402/62 "2025-09-26T20:46:36Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > How did she ever make it through law school? Go Land Crabs! ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ap-ex-fbi-director-james-comey-indicted-on-charges-of-lying-to-congress-and-obstruction/1023402/63 "2025-09-26T20:59:12Z")
> [@CoolHandCox](#): > > > [@Spoons](#): > > > > How did she ever make it through law school? > > No idea. I’m sure she’s a decent insurance lawyer. I don’t think her legal prowess is chief among her qualifications to serve in the Trump regime. Trump is pretty consistent in hiring and appointing people who are…not the best at understanding the law. He should really follow the [Bob Loblaw Law Blog](https://bob-loblaws-law-blog.blogspot.com/) to get some decent legal advice instead of getting his legal counsel from highway rest stops and beauty pageants. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ap-ex-fbi-director-james-comey-indicted-on-charges-of-lying-to-congress-and-obstruction/1023402/64 "2025-09-26T23:19:22Z")
> [@CoolHandCox](#): > > But…below, is a _different_ indictment (Doc 3) with three counts (starts on page 2) That may be the most amateurish document handed into federal court by a high government official ever. The three pages are labeled COUNT ONE, COUNT TWO, AND COUNT TWO. COUNT ONE is the count that got left off the final document. That’s the slippery count that got away, known in legal jargon as The Count of Monte Crisco. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ap-ex-fbi-director-james-comey-indicted-on-charges-of-lying-to-congress-and-obstruction/1023402/65 "2025-09-26T23:36:00Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > known in legal jargon as The Count of Monte Crisco. 'Cause the skids were greased? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2025, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ap-ex-fbi-director-james-comey-indicted-on-charges-of-lying-to-congress-and-obstruction/1023402/66 "2025-09-27T00:27:12Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > The White House Office of the Staff Secretary isn’t just an office secretary; it is arguably the second most powerful position operating within the White House, second to the White House Chief of Staff, deciding what information actually ends up on the President’s desk and controlling appointments on the President’s calendar. In any sane White House, I’d say that that would make it at least the third. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2025, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ap-ex-fbi-director-james-comey-indicted-on-charges-of-lying-to-congress-and-obstruction/1023402/67 "2025-09-27T00:49:35Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > (From his POV, who cares if a rushed half-baked case falls apart, we can just cook up another one and another one, the point is to torment whoever crosses me.) I was wondering about that. If this case continues to fall apart, can they amend the indictment to claim that some other statement in Comey’s testimony that day was the false one – without going outside the statute of limitations? Everything I’m reading says this indictment won’t fly. But that seems, to me, too good to be true. I don’t know how long Comey’s senate testimony went on, but it is hard to talk for hours and never make one mistake. I believe this is why perjury is normally an add-on charge, not the only thing in the indictment. P.S. There are two counts, but both amount to lying. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2025, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ap-ex-fbi-director-james-comey-indicted-on-charges-of-lying-to-congress-and-obstruction/1023402/68 "2025-09-27T01:21:44Z")
Lying to Congress? Does this involve recent Supreme Court nominees? Cabinet appointments? Testimony by the same cabinet members to Senate and House committees? It’s going to take years for these justices, former podcasters and Fox News talking heads to be impeached, indicted, and/or convicted. At least Bondi is on the case now 🙄 And those Epstein files? Could we get some action there? ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2025, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ap-ex-fbi-director-james-comey-indicted-on-charges-of-lying-to-congress-and-obstruction/1023402/69 "2025-09-27T01:40:50Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > That’s not why they held show trials. Nobody—not even the show trial defendants, most of whom considered themselves loyal CPSU members—disputed the CPSU’s absolute control of the government. The trials were more about demonstrating who controlled the CPSU. Fair enough; the point is that authoritarian regimes still have trials, not to realize justice but to demonstrate that justice and the rule of law is not to be had by anyone opposing the regime. > [@Chronos](#): > > In any sane White House, I’d say that that would make it at least the third. The President has authority beyond the Office of the White House as they are in charge of all executive departments and independent agencies of the United States federal government; within that office, the White House Chief of Staff and the head of the White House Office of Staff Secretary are the #1 and #2 most powerful people within the staff of the Office of the White House because they control all official access to and daily agenda of the President, so unless you have a personal relationship with or are a billionaire donor/advisor to the President, you have to do through these gatekeepers. This is distinct from personal secretaries and aides ([“body man”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YUOD-74Etk)) who don’t have any kind of ostensible authority. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2025, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ap-ex-fbi-director-james-comey-indicted-on-charges-of-lying-to-congress-and-obstruction/1023402/70 "2025-09-27T02:17:13Z")
I’d love to see the agendas. Makeup, followed by personal time for watching Faux tell him what flatulence he emitted the previos day was a hit with ‘.the common clay of…’ cultists. Have all the glowing sound bites and fawning posts played or read to him by his private shadow. Diet Coke and Mickey Ds. Stephen Miller time for latest Nazi actions updates. More ranting at TV screens. Shitposting from the shitter. Throw in 40% for golf and there you have it. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2025, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ap-ex-fbi-director-james-comey-indicted-on-charges-of-lying-to-congress-and-obstruction/1023402/71 "2025-09-28T08:25:03Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > Among the above lack of utilizing the strength of the organization, McCabe - the #2 most important person inside the FBI - had Clinton’s email server under his desk and had forgotten to get it investigated. I know I’m a few days late, but I think he had Anthony Weiner’s laptop under the desk. They looked inside, found some Clinton emails and ran to congress in confidence (hahaha!). It was immediately made public, what, a week before the election?, that there may be more to the Clinton email bullshit. Her popularity took a nosedive and she lost. A week after the election, Comey came back and said, haha, whoops, there’s nothing new there. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2025, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ap-ex-fbi-director-james-comey-indicted-on-charges-of-lying-to-congress-and-obstruction/1023402/72 "2025-09-28T15:29:07Z")
Is Lindsey Halligan going to be the lead prosecutor on this case? Obviously nobody wants the weight of the United States Department of Justice bearing down on them, but if it’s going to happen, then I can’t help but think Comey is in a pretty good position. I expect Halligan will attempt to delay going to trial for as long as she possibly can. She’s not a criminal lawyer, but she’s got to realize how weak her case really is. Maybe Comey should ask to go to trial ASAP. ---
**Author:** ![betonbill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b782af/32.png) [@betonbill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betonbill)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2025, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ap-ex-fbi-director-james-comey-indicted-on-charges-of-lying-to-congress-and-obstruction/1023402/73 "2025-09-28T15:31:47Z")
Didn’t Trump wind up with thousands of lawyers promising him free legal stuff? Did they all die? ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2025, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ap-ex-fbi-director-james-comey-indicted-on-charges-of-lying-to-congress-and-obstruction/1023402/74 "2025-09-28T16:35:09Z")
I have seen some news reports that there may have been some second thoughts about that, once those same lawyers looked into the federal laws about offering free stuff to a government official to make the government official hold off on using the official’s powers against them. Something picayune about bribery offences. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2025, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ap-ex-fbi-director-james-comey-indicted-on-charges-of-lying-to-congress-and-obstruction/1023402/75 "2025-09-28T16:36:22Z")
Just to even things up, Comey’s lawyer is new to the defense side of things… > **[Patrick Fitzgerald](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Fitzgerald)** > > Patrick J. Fitzgerald (born December 22, 1960) is an American attorney and former partner at the law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. > For more than a decade, until June 30, 2012, Fitzgerald was the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. Prior to his appointment, he served as Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York from 1988 to 2001, and as Chief of the Organized Crime-Terrorism Unit since December 1995, where he participated in the prose... ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2025, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ap-ex-fbi-director-james-comey-indicted-on-charges-of-lying-to-congress-and-obstruction/1023402/76 "2025-09-28T16:46:01Z")
But he’s got a strong criminal law background. Lots of prosecutors switch over to the defence side and do quite well. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2025, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ap-ex-fbi-director-james-comey-indicted-on-charges-of-lying-to-congress-and-obstruction/1023402/77 "2025-09-28T16:47:15Z")
Oh yeah, my comment was tongue in cheek. Fitzgerald is the guy who put Blagojevich away. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2025, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ap-ex-fbi-director-james-comey-indicted-on-charges-of-lying-to-congress-and-obstruction/1023402/78 "2025-09-28T16:56:06Z")
I’d probably give odds on this making it past a motion to dismiss. Hard to imagine discovery going well for the prosecution. No, this isn’t going to be the end for Trump. But it sure is going to make even clearer his pettiness and vindictiveness. So crazy, as many of us feel Comey may have been more responsible for rump’s 1st term victory than any other single individual. 🙄 ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2025, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ap-ex-fbi-director-james-comey-indicted-on-charges-of-lying-to-congress-and-obstruction/1023402/79 "2025-09-28T17:15:27Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > I disagree. Jury tampering (while not impossible) is not really a think in US courts. Even the “bad” judges are very careful about the juries. Given that 50% of the public hates Trump and sees how corrupt he is, Comey should do fine with a jury. The same Comey that, as mentioned above, led to Trump in the first place? Those jurors are going to find him a sympathetic defendant after what he did to Hillary just because the leopard is eating his face now? ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2025, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ap-ex-fbi-director-james-comey-indicted-on-charges-of-lying-to-congress-and-obstruction/1023402/80 "2025-09-28T17:17:15Z")
> [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > Those jurors are going to find him a sympathetic defendant after what he did to Hillary just because the leopard is eating his face now? What “he did to Hillary” is old news. What Trump is doing to the country is top of the mind. I don’t like Comey all that much, and I agree he screwed up the 2016 election. Nevertheless, I’d _love_ to be on the jury and help acquit him. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ap-ex-fbi-director-james-comey-indicted-on-charges-of-lying-to-congress-and-obstruction/1023402.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ap-ex-fbi-director-james-comey-indicted-on-charges-of-lying-to-congress-and-obstruction/1023402.md?page=5)